Prince Vaughn sighs. "You could have hurt your –
"Need I remind you Your Grace that I am a young person perfectly capable of taking care of myself and making my own decisions." Kidaya fires at him when she couldn't take his scolding anymore. "I am not a little child that needs watchful eyes around them every single minute of the day so they won't hurt themselves. I can take care of myself!"
"Are you sure about that?" the Prince fires back nodding towards her current sitting position. "A Lady is supposed to ride a horse –
"I am not a Lady!"
"Then what are you? A Gentleman? Perhaps we need to let the first Queen know she had mistakenly chosen a man as her Diamond this season!" Prince Vaughn fires at her.
Kidaya rolls her eyes.
In one swift move, he jumps off his horse and rushes towards her. Hands stretched forward to her, "Come, I'll help you down." He proposed.
Confused, she raises her brows at him. "What!"
Staring back at her. "Come down from the horse." Prince Vaughn says to her.
"You must be crazy." She says not believing her ears.
"Diamond!" he scolds angrily.
In a swift move that the Prince didn't even realize it, she signals her horse and rides away from him. And furiously, Prince Vaughn jumps on his horse and rides after her. He blocks her path after a long chase.
"Come off the horse!" he commands.
Kidaya scoffs just before she turns around and rides away in another direction.
Rolling his eyes furiously. "You have got to be kidding me! May!" he commands his horse before chasing after the Diamond again. She put in quite a speed this time that it took a long time before he finally caught her again. This time, he reached out for the reins of her horse.
"Come down!" he commands furiously, his eyes on her. "Now!"
Sighing, Kidaya lets go of the reins of the horse, and even before Prince Vaughn could jump down to come and assist her down the horse, she had jumped off the horse to her feet, leaving Vaughn in shock again.
"You cannot tell anybody you saw me out here by this time." Kidaya says to him.
"Why? You are suddenly afraid of what the ton will say when they find out you as a Lady were riding your horse astride and without a chaperone at this early hours? Where is your maid and brother for goodness sake? You could have –
"I am fine, am I not." she says, fighting the urge to roll her eyes again.
At her words, he rushes towards her, letting go of the reins of their horses, he grabs both her hands, pulls off her gloves, and begins to check her hands for any bruise.
"I am fine." Kidaya says pulling out her hand from his grip. She picks up her gloves from the ground and begins to put them back on.
"Are you hurt? Do you …" and for a minute, Kidaya could feel the worries behind his words. "Who fucking lets you ride out this early on a horse by the way? And what is Vanderburgh doing that he has no idea –"
Neighs of many horses was heard from a distance, causing both of them to turn to look in that direction. Kidaya could hear the horse coming closer. She quickly covers her face with the cape of her coat, runs, and jumps on her horse, picking up the reins.
"We never met here," she says to him. "If you as much as tell anyone you saw me here, I am going to tell Margery that you told my brother that you want to court her this entire season, but you do not know how to go about it." Kidaya threatens.
"What!" Prince Vaughn exclaims not believing his ears.
"I wonder what she and her mother will do when they hear that." She scoffs. "It wasn't good seeing you here. Bye." Kidaya says just before she pulls the reins and rides away at speed.
Prince Vaughn stares after her, eyes widened and still in shock at what he had just heard. Did she just threaten him?
The effrontery!
Prince Vaughn rides into his stable smiling.
"Okay, you are smiling, that means the ride went well. I thought as much when I didn't see you return after two hours." Harlane says getting the reins from him. "Did something interesting happen, Your Highness?"
Jumping off his horse, his hands behind him. "Well, I wouldn't call it that, but it did get my mind completely off my nightmare and worries."
"An event or a person?" Harlane asks.
"The Dia-" …as much as tell anyone you saw me here, I am going to tell Margery that you told my brother that you want to court her this entire season, but you do not know how to go about it. Her threat flashed in his mind. His eyes were on Harlane. "Do you think she would really do that?" he questions.
"She? Who?" Harlane asks
"The Di-" strangely, he couldn't get himself to mention her even when he wants to. Did he really believe her threat? Would she really do that? So far. The girl has proven to be one who cares less about the order of things, so it wouldn't surprise him if she did. Shaking his head, "Never mind." Eyes on Harlane. "Why were you waiting here?"
"We got words from the east."
~
Lady Erskine walks into the hall, her hands around her youngest daughter while Eddna holds onto Ralph as they walk in. Many begin to strain their heads and look behind these four, checking for the Diamond.
Lady Erskine sighs."Do you think she will be alright?" she asks turning to look at Ralph. "Should I have stayed back with her at home and ensured she is okay?"
Placing a hand on the Lady. "Kidaya will be fine, Aunt. And if any problem arises, I have instructed the other coachman to head over here at once and inform me. I am sure she will be fine." Or already is and jumping over her window right now. Ralph completed in his mind with a sigh. Her cough had sounded too fake and had begun just after she and Miya had emerged from the closed-door discussion. What are you up to, Kidaya? Ralph wondered.
Nodding. "Of course, of course she will be fine. I have also instructed Mary to check on her every two hours. Am sure –
"Lady Erskine." Came a voice accompanied with a bow. It was Lord Willsmoth.
"Oh! Lord Willsmoth. What a delight to meet you here." Lady Erskine says with a smile.
"Same here, Lady Erskine." He looks behind them. "The Diamond?"
"Ah! My apologies, she couldn't come tonight as she is down with a cold."
"Cold? Is she alright?" Asked Lord Park from behind. Most of the Gentlemen began to gather around.
"She will be, I am sure a rest is all she needs."
From the stairs, the Duke heard them. So did the Second Prince who had been waiting a few feet away. As the Duke turned to walk away, his eyes met with that of the Second Prince who was about to walk away too. But before Prince Vaughn could say anything, the Duke looks away and walks away too.
"Perhaps I should call on her with some gingerbread and tea tomorrow morning, I hear it works wonders with cold." Prince Vaughn hears one of the Lord's say.
"Lapsang Souchong Tea would be most preferred by her." Ralph says with a mischievous smile. The Young Lords smile, appreciating him for the information.
"Ralph!" Lady Erskine exclaims hitting him slightly by the shoulder. "Why would you even suggest that? You know she hates that particular tea." And that caught the attention of the Second Prince who had been about to walk away. Lady Erskine turns to face the Lords. "She may hate you if you call on her with that tea." She tells them.
And they all gave Ralph a scolding look as if he had just pushed them into a well. Ralph smiles walking further away with Eddna still holding onto him.
"You know Kidaya will fry you when she learns you even suggested that." Eddna says to him.
Smiling, "She will have to be strong to do that, won't she? If not for Aunt, she would have successfully murdered all the young Lords tomorrow, and the marriage season would have come to a drastic end. I was helping her, Eddna."
Eddna laughs. "I see you are also not ready to give her out this season."
"Kidaya is –
"Your Sister, and someday, you will have to give her out."
~
At another part of the hall, the Second Prince smiles mischievously. Foolish little girl. He mutters inaudibly. Of course she will be down with cold after brazenly riding out in the early hours of the day on a horse. It would be a miracle if the cold does not keep her indoors for a week. But then, thanks to her brother, he had a way of getting back at her for her rude remarks and threats earlier today.
Lapsang Souchong Tea, was it?
He will make sure to call on her tomorrow very early in the morning with a jar full of the tea and make sure she drinks it. Vaughn chuckles when he tries to imagine her reaction and the glare he was sure her eyes will have.